What Are America’s Most Expensive Colleges?

Forbes, along with the Center for College Affordability & Productivity, tallied up the cost of tuition, books, transportation, computers, and room and board to determine the new list of America’s most expensive colleges. And some of them may surprise you.

The 2,500-student Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York ranks at the top, with an annual price of $58,334. The expense is at least partially explained by the school’s close proximity to Manhattan, which has a high cost of living, and the college’s very low student-to-teacher ratio — nine-to-one.

“In practically all cases, our classes are seminars with an average head count of 12 students,” said Thomas Blum, vice president for administration. “We have five lecture sections this fall, and our largest lecture section may have 75 students.”

The University of Chicago came in second with a total yearly expense of $57,590, while New York City’s New School, which includes the prestigious Parsons School of Design, came in third. Attending that college will set you back $57,199 a year.

You’ll need $56,930 per year to attend Washington University in St. Louis, and New York’s Columbia University rounds out the top five with $56,681 in annual expenses.

While all this seems jaw-dropping — and it is — keep in mind many students don’t actually shell out that much. Schools often offer grants and scholarships to bring the costs down to what parents can actually afford to pay.